Delhi: Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar to discuss cabinet formation

Karnataka Chief Minister-designate Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar arrived in the national capital on Friday to meet with the party’s high command to discuss cabinet formation modalities. The pair will also formally invite the top brass to the swearing-in ceremony.

On Thursday, the Congress confirmed Siddaramaiah’s appointment as Karnataka’s next chief minister and named DK Shivakumar as his sole deputy in the government. When pressed on a possible power-sharing formula during the official announcement in New Delhi, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said: “Power sharing means sharing power with the people of Karnataka… that is all.”

Even as the power-sharing formula devised for the two leaders remained a mystery, intense lobbying for the council of ministers began. The announcement by Congress general secretary KC Venugopal that some ministers will also take oath on May 20 prompted the intense lobbying.

A senior party leader told HT that the focus would be on providing adequate representation to all regions and taking special care of the communities that have supported the party in a big way, pointing to the support given by Lingayat, the BJP’s traditional vote bank, Dalits, and Muslims in the Congress victory.

Leaders of several opposition parties are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony in Bengaluru on Saturday. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has extended an invitation to several chief ministers and party leaders for what is viewed as a chance to demonstrate the opposition’s unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.